On October 1st, 1949 the the People's Republic of China was proclaimed, making this year the 75th anniversary of its founding. It followed decades of civil war, the invasion from Imperial Japan, several internal conflicts involving regional warlords, and over a hundred years of being subservient through unequal treaties imposed by Western powers. To establish a central government under such circumstances was an impressive achievement in its own right. As Mao Zedong said at the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference several days before
the proclamation, "The Chinese people have stood up ... Ours will no longer be a nation subject to insult and humiliation".
Following a century of foreign invasion and civil wars, the land and its people had been ravaged. The importance of land reform, the rebuilding of industry, health care (e.g., the "barefoot doctors" in rural regions), education (illiteracy was reduced from 80% to 7% by 1976), and significant improvements towards the emancipation of women in a culture of entrenched misogyny (e.g., outlawing forced marriage and concubinage), were all steps in rebuilding the country. There were of course many difficult challenges; the Korean War, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution all came with great, even enormous, costs. But the principle of an "iron rice bowl", where sustenance, housing, education, and health-care remained the priority, with ultimate success. As the respected academic journal "Population Studies" has bluntly stated in a comprehensive article of the early decades: "China's growth in life expectancy at birth from 35-40 years in 1949 to 65.5 years in 1980 is among the most rapid sustained increases in documented global history".
Still a developing country, the decades that followed saw China transition to a mixed economy where central planning was still dominant for national infrastructure projects, but market reforms became increasingly prevalent for commodities. This started with the Household Responsibility System in rural areas, and developed in urban regions with small business in retail and employee-owned cooperatives in production, along with state-owned enterprises and encouraging foreign investment. This diversity is what is meant by a "socialist market economy" with "Chinese characteristics", which provides a model for countries transitioning from a largely rural and agricultural developing economy to a modern urban, industralised, and developed economy. From 1979 until 2010, China's average annual GDP growth was 9.91%, reaching an extraordinary high of 15.2% in 1984. In the process China, according to the values of the World Bank, has abolished extreme poverty; affecting over 90% of the population in 1980 to abolition by 2020. In 2010, China overtook Japan as the world's second-largest economy by nominal GDP, before overtaking the United States in 2016 as the world's largest economy by GDP (PPP). China’s GDP per capita (PPP) increased from $1,093 (1991) to $21,482 (2022), according to the World
Bank. The World Bank also notes that, in the same period, life expectancy increased from 68 years to 78 years, surpassing the United States.
The 21st century CE, is increasingly China's century. Through actions like the Belt-and-Road Initiative, China has engaged in a global infrastructure development strategy concentrating on developing countries, providing a substantial improvement to world GDP ($7.1 trillion per annum by 2040 according to the UK's Centre for Economics and Business Research) and primarily affecting those people that need it most. In addition, China has also constitutionally-enshrined the principles of eco-civilization: “The construction of ecological civilization is a millennial plan for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation” of which the “two mountains theory”, i.e., “Green waters and green mountains are [as valuable as] mountains of gold and silver” (Lǜ shuǐ qīngshān jiùshì jīnshān yín shān) applies. China's emissions of greenhouse gases has peaked six years earlier than planned, and it is now the world's largest producer of renewable energy, with growth continuing. China is heading towards the path of an being the international leader in trade, in production, and in environmental protection.
The Australia-China Friendship Society (Victoria) welcomes these developments. We have long stood for acceptance and respectful acknowledgements of differences between Australia and China, whilst steadfastly promoting cultural exchange and friendship between Chinese and Australian people. We have provided bridges for people to cross between the two cultures based on mutual respect and understanding. We have done so even when it was unpopular and, indeed, well before the Australian government showed the courage to even recognise the People's Republic of China. Over the last 75 years it is indeed quite clear China has indeed stood up and has taken substantial steps to ensuring peace and development in this world. The ACFS, at the very least and more than far too many others, both recognises and celebrates these impressive achievements.
Lev Lafayette
President, Australia-China Friendship Society (Victoria)
Letter to ACFS members, October 1st, 2024, Melbourne, Australia
Wǒ hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐmen. Duìbùqǐ. Wǒ bù shuō zhōngwén. Not well, anyway.
I am deeply honoured to be here tonight Chinese Organisations Council National Day Dinner celebrating the the 75th year of the People’s Republic of China. I take this opportunity to acknowledge that we meet on the traditional land of Woiwurung people of the Kulin nations. I gave my respects to their elders; past, present, and emerging, and I recognise that their sovereignity was never ceded. Also, I wish to give thanks to Arthur Wu, executive chair of the Chinese National Day Celebration Committee of Victoria, and our friend Fang Xinwen, consul general of the Pepole's Republic of China in Australia. I would also like to thank the staff here tonight, those who prepare our food and drinks in the kitchens and bring it to our tables. It is through them we are enjoying this magnificent meal.
I come here as the representative of the Victorian branch of the Australia-China Friendship Society (ACFS), whose objectives are cultivate friendly relations with the people of China through the study of China's history, language, culture, social and political systems. This is not an easy task. Despite the fact that China is overwhelmingly Australia's largest trading partner, both by imports and exports, the astounding level of ignorance of Australians about China makes for a fascinating and frightening study in its own right. "Tāmen bù míngbái", "they do not understand" is an self-evident observation. But they are not really trying, either.
The ACFS was established in 1951, shortly after the proclamation of the People's Republic of China on October 1st, 1949. Australia, for purposes based on the politics of delusion, rather than respecting reality, did not recognise the PRC until the 21 December 1972. As you can imagine those early years were not easy for the society, who showed great resilience against great animosity. The long-standing and vile racism towards Chinese expressed by far too many Australians and too often by Australia's laws for far too long, was now coupled with a political dimension. Needless to say, it continues today, often in a more subtle and insidious form, sometimes in a very blunt, expensive, and not very smart manner, such as the AUKUS alliance.
Today, the ACFS continues its tradition of building bridges between Australians and Chinese, between Australia and China. We do so through our meetings and events, our publications, our tours of China, and the connections we establish through cultural organisations such as those present tonight. We are not a big organisation (indeed, new members are very welcome), but we have a big history and we have some influence. Perhaps most importantly, at least in my mind, the ACFS stands on the side of knowledge and understanding, whereas those opposed to us stand for ignorance and prejudice. It is a matter of political reality that an enduring friendship between Australia and China is necessary for peace and development in our world. That alone justifies our activities.
Thank you.
Lev Lafayette
President, Australia-China Friendship Society (Victorian branch)
Victorian Chinese Communities Celebration of 75th Anniversary of the founding of the Peoples' Republic of China
September 23, 2024